Life. Worth. Living.

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, hosted by The National Eating Disorder Association, is February 22-28. The week’s theme “I had No Idea” is intended to shine a light on the often overlooked severity of eating disorders and to educate the general public on the signs, causes and treatment options for those who suffer from one. The focus is on the recovery aspects of eating disorders most people had no idea they would feel about after treatment. For instance, many people during treatment realize there are others just like them. Who feel similar feelings, who respond to food in similar ways. This is just an example of one of the many “I had no idea” statements staff hear at Rogers Memorial Hospital. With the national theme for NEDAwareness Week being “I had no idea,” Rogers is highlighting all the positive affirmations one learns about themselves and their life throughout the treatment and recovery process. The photos posted throughout the week are staff members of Rogers Memorial Hospital sharing what they have heard or observed from patients discharging from eating disorder treatment. Patients often leave having found a new sense of confidence and a feeling of empowerment. After treatment at Rogers Memorial Hospital, patients discover they previously had “no idea” they have a life.worth.living.

Super Bowl Sunday, a day rooted in decades of tradition, infamous commercials, and world champions. At Rogers Memorial Hospital’s FOCUS program, Super Bowl Sunday isn’t about winning or losing, it’s about being a part of a group of individuals who are facing the same challenges with life transitions. FOCUS residents will be watching the game, enjoying snacks together and, although some residents may not be interested in the game’s outcome, the key is participation.

“Individuals with mood disorders often isolate and withdraw from activities that are important to living a rewarding life,” said Rachel Leonard, PhD, behavioral activation specialist and clinical supervisor of the FOCUS residential program for young adults.

Participating in enjoyable experiences, such as the FOCUS residents watching the Super Bowl together, is part of their behavioral activation therapy to help improve mood and work toward a fulfilling, active life. This not only engages the residents, it reinforces the idea that everyone is in this together. As Dr. Leonard mentions, it is natural for individuals with mood disorders to avoid social interaction and activities; when the residents are reminded that their peers are experiencing similar difficulties, it creates a stronger sense of camaraderie.

It’s long been known that mental illness knows no bounds or language barriers. Finally technology has caught up with behavioral health and Rogers Memorial Hospital is on the forefront of using it to better treat our patients.

Rogers now uses a translation app which runs on an iPad and allows face-to-face video interaction with a translator. The most common language spoken by our patients, other than English, is Spanish. Face-to-face video translation services are available 24/7 for Spanish and American Sign Language. We can offer face-to-face video translation for other languages during the day, turning to phone translation over the phone at night.

The mobility of the iPads allows the translator to come to the patient. Rogers has already seen great success with this translation tool.

A new study found a correlation between chaos in the home and the pictures children draw of their families. As part of Rogers programming, art therapy is used to help patients express themselves. Betsy, an Art Therapist at Rogers' Brown Deer campus wrote about how art is used within treatment.

Art is an excellent tool to assist those who may have trouble verbalizing their thoughts and feelings. Think of a time you couldn’t find the right word to describe something but were able to see the thing you were trying to describe in your mind’s eye. The brain remembers in images rather than words but the majority of therapies are mostly talk-based. At Rogers Memorial Hospital, Art Therapists in Experiential Therapy use creative expression to lead patients toward emotional insight, positive hobbies, and increased confidence. The Art Therapists incorporate their practice through a variety of media in a range of patient groups at all hospital locations and in many treatment programs.

Men with eating disorders conservatively make up approximately 10 percent of anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) eating disorder patients, with BN being more common than AN. However for binge eating disorder (BED), rates for males are similar to females. While the acute presentations for males and females tend to be the same and include weight loss and malnutrition and/or binge eating with compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting and calorie restriction, significant clinical differences are present between male and female eating disorder patients. Evidence indicates that men are as concerned about body image as women. However, unlike women whose preferred body image is thin, men’s preferred body image is muscular. Exercise and athletic competition, especially sports that require low body fat or extremes of weight loss, represent a risk for developing disordered eating.

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health problems, affecting about one out of eight children. While feeling anxious or even afraid at times is a normal part of childhood, anxiety can become problematic if it begins to impair a child’s ability to function at home or at school on a daily basis. The importance of identifying and treating an anxiety disorder is critical not only in relieving the child's current distress, but also in reducing the progression into more serious problems when they are older.

What is the difference between anxiety and fear?

We define anxiety as apprehension about a future threat, a feeling of apprehension when danger isn’t imminently present, whereas fear is a response to an immediate threat or a response to imminent danger. Interestingly, anxiety isn’t all bad. Research has shown that moderate levels of anxiety help us perform better on certain performance based tasks such as taking an exam. And certainly if we are faced with a threatening situation it is essential that our body respond in a way that mobilizes our resources so that we may defend ourselves or flee the situation.

Both anxiety and fear involve physical, psychological, and behavioral responses. Physical symptoms can include sweating, blushing, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, or muscle tenseness. The psychological signs may range from worrying about almost everything, to being restless, irritable, tense, or easily tired, and having trouble concentrating. Behavioral signs can include refusing to go to school, being afraid to sleep alone, or engaging in excessive reassurance seeking.

How do kids manage anxiety? How do I know if my child is having problems with anxiety?

Children deal with anxiety in a variety of ways. One of the more common ways is to seek repeated reassurance from their family. The child may repeatedly ask the same question as a way to ease their uncertainty and reduce their anxiety. Unfortunately, because this reassurance is anxiety based the child typically is unsatisfied with the response and will persist. Anxious children may also tend to avoid situations, places or persons who trigger their anxiety. It is not uncommon for a child to avoid school due to anxieties about school performance, social interaction, separating from a parent or other stressful situations such as bullying. Younger children may be clingier with a parent, express distress about sleeping alone, manifest their anxiety through bodily complaints such as headaches and stomach aches, and may be more irritable and oppositional at times. Older children and teens may tend to distract by using video games or TV, isolate, withdraw from formally enjoyed activities and turn to drugs or alcohol to calm the physical symptoms of anxiety.

Are there ways I can help my child cope with anxiety?

Start with the basics, make sure your child has a regular daily routine that includes the proper diet, exercise and sleep. Avoid giving them repeated reassurance; instead encourage them to share their concern and worries and to work with you to problem solve situations. As a parent it is important to be calm and confident for your child, if you are anxious, they may be as well. Some additional ways to help may be:

Teaching your child that anxiety is a normal reaction to uncertainty and can, in moderate amounts, actually help us to be more prepared and perform better

Remind them that the physical symptoms of anxiety are normal and are not dangerous anxiety

Identify a name your child can give anxiety (e.g., Mr. Meany or bully) so that parents, caregivers, teachers and therapists can work together to defeat the anxiety foe.

Thought challenge them by asking questions (e.g. how many times have a I worried about this and it turned out fine or what would I tell a friend to do in this same situation?)

Use of positive coping skills such as proper breathing techniques, reading or talking with a friend

One of the most effective ways to help your child manage their anxiety is by encouraging gradual exposure to the feared situation or object. Kids inherently know that to get over any fear they need to confront it. Fortunately anxiety is manageable when you are aware of the symptoms and can respond properly. By providing your child the right tools, they can learn to tolerate their anxiety and recognize when they are worried. With the right information parents and caregivers can assist their child in identifying the problem, work with the child to problem solve potential solutions, increase use of positive coping strategies and turn to professional help if the problem is more severe, complex or impairing than you are able to manage.

Led by Christine, Rogers’ spirtual care coordinator and Mick, Rogers’ experiential therapy manager; our staff has been busy designing and building a labyrinth at our Oconomowoc campus. Yesterday, the team completed the labyrinth, located in the lower gardens. It was built so that the entrance of the labyrinth could be viewed from the gazebo. Rogers’ labyrinth spans over 40 feet in diameter and leads those who enter on a journey just short of a quarter mile.

Labyrinths are typically difficult to navigate (we promise ours is navigable). However, like life, they require us to not look in the past and instead focus on where we are headed. Studies have proven the health benefits of walking a labyrinth and there are organizations devoted to promoting labyrinths.

Labyrinths provide patients an opportunity to enter a world of their own and release their thoughts. Upon leaving the labyrinth, patients are re-integrated into a life worth living with a heightened sense of awareness. The labyrinth and gardens will be used by our experiential therapy programming and spiritual care team.

Teenagers are inundated with expectations in their homes, schools and social lives leading to an estimated half a million attempting suicide each year. It is not uncommon for teens to experience varying degrees of stress, self-doubt, pressure to succeed and worry about their future. Unlike adults, teens struggle with the ability to look at life’s stressful events as temporary. For some, a series of stressful events may lead to a belief that the unhappiness is an overwhelming burden that will go on for the rest of their life. As time goes on they may begin to feel depressed and anxious. At moments, suicide may feel as if it is the only viable solution to their problems and stress.

Common stressors teens experience can include: increasing demands at school, bullying by peers, managing romantic relationships, facing peer pressure to use drugs or alcohol, becoming increasingly independent from their parents and the pressures of finding a job or preparing for college.

Parents should be aware of some of the following signs of teen depression:

Persistent boredom, significant difficulty concentrating or a decline in the quality of school work

Loss of interest in pleasurable activities

Thoughts of death

Intentional self-harm

Signs you may see from a teenager who is planning to commit suicide (may include, though not limited to):

Talking about being a bad person or feeling empty inside

Giving verbal hints with statements such as: “Nothing ever works out for me. Everyone would be better off without me. I can’t take it anymore.”

Giving away possessions, cleaning his or her room, writing goodbye letters or posting farewells on social media

Becoming suddenly cheerful after a period of depression

In general, what should you do if you think that a teen close to you feels suicidal?

Ask them directly whether or not they have been thinking of killing themselves. People often feel uncomfortable talking about suicide, but doing so may save your loved one’s life. It is a myth that talking about suicide “puts the idea” into someone’s head. People who feel suicidal want to know that someone cares and will listen to their pain. Always take statements of wanting to die seriously. Do not leave your child alone.

Seek help immediately. If your teen states that they want to die or if they have thoughts about suicide, seek help from a qualified mental health therapist who can help identify and problem-solve your child’s needs.

With support from family and appropriate treatment, children and teenagers who are suicidal can go forward to feel hopeful and live productive and happy lives. If you feel a teenager you know is exhibiting some of these signs, Rogers Memorial Hospital can help. Our inpatient and day treatment programs provide a safe environment where teens can work on stabilizing their symptoms and identifying ways to manage their emotions when feelings of hopelessness arise.

To schedule a free screening call 800-767-4411 or request one online at rogershospital.org.

The following resources also provide information on teen depression and suicide:

Experiential Therapy

Art, dance/movement, drama, music, recreation/adventure and relaxation are part of a category of therapies collectively referred to as experiential therapy. At Rogers Memorial Hospital, experiential therapy is thoroughly integrated into our patients’ treatment experience. More than a third of the programming (35%) our patients receive is experiential in nature.

Rogers has one of the largest experiential therapy programs in the area, with nearly 40 experiential therapists working at our five locations in Wisconsin. Our experiential therapists help patients make stronger, deeper connections to key concepts covered in their ‘talk’ therapy sessions by reframing them in concrete ways. Rogers' therapists provide encouragement and support as well as interpretation and redirection, skill education and non-intrusive observation that help shift patients’ perceptions about their illness to new, recovery-focused ways of thinking.

The Nail Stack

The Nail Stack is a puzzle that is used as an opportunity to identify obstacles and improve a patient’s self-esteem. Participants are told they must balance 14 nails on a single nail head and the nails cannot touch anything except each other. Our patients work as a team to tackle this challenge. Sometimes, the level of frustration rises as the puzzles seems unsolvable. When frustration happens, experiential therapists at Rogers use that moment as a learning opportunity to show patients how to cope with everyday stresses they may encounter.
(Scroll Down To See Nail Stack Solution)

Nail Stack Solution

Each September the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) observes Recovery Month, highlighting the prevention, treatment and recovery services that help individuals celebrate recovery from a mental health or substance use disorder. This fall, Rogers is addressing treatment issues by adding addiction programming at their Brown Deer, Oconomowoc and Madison, Wisconsin locations.

This fall, addiction programs offered by Rogers Memorial Hospital are expanding to include a new dual diagnosis track at the Herrington Recovery Center (HRC) and a dual diagnosis intensive outpatient programs and partial hospitalization programs in Madison and Brown Deer.

“Most addiction programs have little to no psychiatric services and few deal intensively with co-occurring disorders,” said Michael Miller, MD, FASAM, FAPA, medical director of the HRC. “By incorporating 14 hours per week of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for patients in our residential program, we are able to effectively treat addiction and common co-occurring psychiatric disorders like mood disorders, anxiety, OCD and trauma.”

Located at Rogers Memorial Hospital in Oconomowoc, WI, the HRC is part of a top psychiatric hospital, where psychiatric consultation and concurrent treatment of mental health concerns by board-certified psychiatrists is available. This dual track gives HRC the ability to truly integrate addiction and psychiatric care, helping patients suffering from substance abuse and a significant anxiety disorder at one time. The schedule for the dual diagnosis track has been arranged to allow for more specific programming, including sessions with behavioral specialists who provide CBT, and other tools including behavioral activation and exposure and response prevention.

As with the current program, the HRC will offer experiential therapies along with core addiction services, including 12-Step facilitation. The HRC is also addressing tobacco use disorder and offers education and recovery interventions to address nicotine. Abstinence from smoking improves a person’s chances of lasting success in abstaining from other alcohol and addictive drug use. The board-certified addiction specialist physicians at the HRC integrate pharmacological therapies for alcohol, opioid and nicotine addiction into psychosocial therapies for addiction and, when indicated, specialized psychiatric therapies and medication management.

In addition to the new track at the HRC, Rogers’ clinic in Madison is also opening an intensive outpatient dual diagnosis program, while Rogers’ Brown Deer is looking to add both an adult and adolescent dual diagnosis intensive outpatient programs and an adult dual diagnosis partial hospitalization program.